Celebration of Undergraduate Engagement (CUE)

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Resident and online students are eligible to participate. Resident and online students may work virtually with writing tutor Maria Wherley (mrs110@psu.edu) in the John A. Dutton e-Education Institute for help with project development and review. She can also assist with necessary technological accommodations on the day of this live event.

Category Guidelines

Lightning Talks

A lightning talk is a brief presentation designed to engage an audience, highlight essential information, and allow people to share ideas in an enjoyable way. In this format, slides advance automatically while the individual presenter speaks for a specified time.

For CUE, participants may have up to 12 slides and present for 3 minutes or less. Topics should relate to your field of study. They can be about your research interests, internship, or any relevant professional development or academic experience.

Please read and follow the specific guidelines below.

Guidelines

Your first slide includes your first and last name, Penn State email address, and the title of your talk;
This first slide is required; however, you may choose to have up to 11 more (for a total of 12) slides;
Slides must be set to advance automatically. No clicking forward.
You have 3 minutes (180 seconds) total to say what you need to say. You'll need to practice timing the slides to your words.
No reading from a script.
After 3 minutes, your talk must end. Judges will consider this time requirement in their evaluation of your talk.
Emphasize graphics (e.g., images, charts, tables) over text on the remaining slides;
Graphics may be literal or figurative representations of the information;
Slides should be relevant to the overall meaning of the talk;
Be concise—emphasize aspects most relevant to your educated, general audience;
Honor copyrights and cite your sources. If you incorporate elements that someone else created, whether it’s images, music, videos, or research, give credit to the creator. You can find links to images in the public domain and creative commons and free audio sound effects and music.
Lighting talks feature individual presentors only. No group presentations.
A Zoom demo video of your lightning talk serves as your Lightning Talk proposal. The CUE Selection Committee will review your demo video and notify you via email if you are selected to present your lightning talk live at the CUE event.
If you are selected, you will need to present your talk and be available for questions during the live event occuring on April 3, 2023.
Entry forms and file uploads must be completed and submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on March 13, 2023.

Steps to submit a lightning talk.

Create a Zoom demo video - Use your PSU Zoom account and the video camera and microphone on a computer (laptop recommended) to produce your Zoom demo video.
- Sign into your PSU Zoom account - To sign into your account, go to https://psu.zoom.us
- Host a meeting - To create a video recording of your slides and your voice, host a meeting where you are the only participant. Screen share your PowerPoint slides and record the meeting. Your recordings will be stored in psu.zoom.us/recording. Play it back to ensure the audio is clear. Upload this file with your lightning talk registration form.
- Not sure how to use Zoom? - To learn more about how to share your slides to the screen and how to record, visit https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/206618765-Zoom-Video-Tutorial or contact Penn State Media Commons.
Entry forms and file uploads of your Lightning Talk Demo Video must be completed and submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on March 13, 2023.

Resources

Science Communication in Earth and Mineral Sciences: Lightning Talks
Berkun, S. (2010, Jan. 14). The end of boring presentations. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/2010/01/14/presentations-pecha-kucha-technology-b...
Berkun, S. (2009, Jun. 1). How to give a great ignite talk. Scott Berkun Blog. Retrieved from https://scottberkun.com/2009/how-to-give-a-great-ignite-talk/

Digital Stories

Digital Stories in Science >> Use this new resource for step-by-step help to create your digital story.

Stories (also called narratives) offer ways to convey complex technical concepts. Research indicates narratives help audiences identify with science, and in this way, it becomes more accessible. Studies also show stories are basic to the formation of scientific knowledge. Narratives and scientific discourse are well suited to each other because the scientific method is at its core describing what happened and what it meant—and this is exactly what is done when a story is told. Also, our brains are hardwired to learn and connect with others through stories. Honing your science storytelling skills will help you communicate on STEM issues important to you.

Construct a personal narrative by choosing a sequence of events that supports a specific thesis and helps you fulfill a rhetorical purpose. Your goal is to help your audience understand the significance of an EMS discovery experience to your development and perspective. Combine textual, visual, and aural elements in a 4- to 5-minute video to tell your brief science story. Please read and follow the specific guidelines below.

Guidelines

Your story should have a point; it should not be a sundry list of random facts. Ask yourself: what do I want to say with my story? Why am I telling this story now? What was the moment I saw this differently? YOU should be in this digital story. Tell it in first person point of view.
You will need to write a script. It should be about 400 to 500 words. Generally, every 100 words takes about 1 minute in digital format. An effective script has three characteristics: an interesting story, vivid details, and a clear significance. Be strategic in deciding which features of your experience (details, characters, settings, and dialogue) you want to emphasize and which ones you should ignore to achieve your rhetorical purpose.
Your voice is a great addition to your story. Take time to learn and practice your script to be able to speak in a conversational, engaging tone in your voiceover. Record several times and select the best one.
Music may be used too. The right music can convey emotion and tone. It should add to the meaning of your story and not be a distraction. Sound effects work in the same way.
Honor copyrights and cite your sources. If you incorporate elements that someone else created, whether it’s images, music, videos, or research, give credit to the creator. You can find links to images in the public domain and creative commons and free audio sound effects and music and other useful resources on the Digital Stories in Science and the PSU Library Digital Storytelling guide.
Think “economy.” Include only those elements necessary to move the audience from beginning to end. Trust your audience’s intelligence and let them fill in some of the blanks. It will be more engaging than “hitting them over the head” with trifling details.
Consider the appropriate pace. Music tempo, speech rate, image duration, and panning, and zooming speeds all work to establish pace.
For tech help, you can request an appointment with Media Commons.
Digital stories feature individual stories only. No team produced digital stories.
The CUE Selection Committee will review your digital story and notify you via email if you are selected to present your digital story at the CUE event.
If you are selected, you will need to present your story and be available for questions during the live event occuring on April 3, 2023.
Entry forms and file uploads must be completed and submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on March 13, 2023.

Additional Resources

Engaged Storytelling. Penn State Media Commons.
Science Communication in Earth and Mineral Sciences: Digital Stories
Haven, K. (2007). Story proof: the science behind the startling power of story. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
The seven elements of digital storytelling. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://d20digitalstorytelling.pbworks.com/f/SevenElements.pdf

Posters

Effective communication of your research is vital to the scientific community and to your career. Posters are often used at conferences to develop opportunities for graduate school or employment. Developing a poster for CUE will help you practice summarizing information concisely, accurately, and attractively. You will gain poise and mental agility as you explain and defend your work. You will also be better prepared to participate in the University-wide Undergraduate Exhibition and develop a more complete EMSAGE application.

Research, experiential learning, creative activity, and educational experience relevant to the study of Earth and Mineral Sciences may serve as the subject of a poster entered for exhibition. This exhibition is not only for students working in a lab collecting data. Additional ideas you can use to make a poster include the following: capstone projects, internships, study abroad, study away, embedded travel courses, community-based research, service learning, student clubs, and other educational experiences.

As long as the topic is EMS related, it can be the subject of your poster. It is not necessary to have completed the entire project, either. If a well-defined part of the project is complete, you can use the information to create a complete poster on this aspect. It is also okay if the poster contains information that has been presented at other regional or national meetings. Please read and follow the specific guidelines below.

Guidelines

Both individuals and EMS undergraduate teams can create posters for CUE.
You will need to list the authors and the faculty/supervisor under whose guidance the project was completed (name, email, and for student co-authors--their 9-digit PSU Student ID). Make sure you have this information at hand before beginning the submission process.
The lead author is the person whose name appears first on the poster. You may submit the poster for your team even if you are not the lead author. The CUE judges will consider the lead author's semester standing when determining the semester standing for the team.
At the time of your submission, you will need to upload a complete and final pdf of your poster. This will be your official submission and will be used by the CUE judges when considering awards. Plan to submit only once!
Posters should be standard, conference size (36" X 48").
Abstracts are limited to 50 words and should contain a brief description of your poster. If the abstract exceeds the word count, it will be cut.
Proofread and edit the abstract carefully as what you write will be copied and included in the online materials for the event.
The CUE Selection Committee will review your submission and notify you via email if you are selected to present your poster at the CUE event.
If you are selected, you will need to present your poster and be available for questions during the live event occuring on April 3, 2023. It is preferable to have all your team members present, but it is not required; however, at least one member needs to be available to present.
Entry forms and file uploads must be completed and submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on March 13, 2023.

Submit your CUE Entry

Before submitting your work, please read the following information.

You are permitted to submit in more than one category, such as both a lightning talk and a poster. However, you may submit only one entry per category (e.g., only one poster—not two posters). The likelihood you’ll be chosen to present at CUE increases when you submit in more than one category.

Upload all submissions under one registration. Have files for all categories you’ll be submitting ready before you initiate this registration process. You will not be able to register twice.

The CUE Selection Committee will notify you of your acceptance and category assignment(s). Students not selected to present at CUE will also be notified.

The CUE event will be held on April 3, 2023 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Please make sure you have read the category guidelines before submitting the form.

If you have read the guidelines and are ready to submit, please complete the form below. Note: Please save the email that you will receive confirming your submission.

Submissions are now open, and all submissions must be in by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.

In This Section

Celebration of Undergraduate Engagement (CUE)

View Showcases

Need Help?

Additional help

Category Guidelines

Lightning Talks

Guidelines

Steps to submit a lightning talk.

Resources

Digital Stories

Guidelines

Additional Resources

Posters

Guidelines

Submit your CUE Entry

CUE submissions

Permission to share your submission

Please enter information on your submission

Poster Information

Additional Co-Author Information

Project Adviser(s)